At HCA Healthcare, compassion goes beyond patient care for our more than 309,000 colleagues – it extends to showing up for each other during tough times. Through the generosity of our colleagues, the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund ensures our colleagues do not have to face challenges alone. The Hope Fund is a 501(c)(3) charity run by colleagues, for colleagues. Those who give to the Hope Fund are supporting their fellow colleagues and their families who face financial hardship due to natural disaster, illness or injury, domestic violence, death of a loved one or other unexpected situations.
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing heavy wind, rain and storm surge. It is the strongest hurricane on record to impact Florida’s Big Bend region and is now moving through the southern U.S. HCA Healthcare colleagues impacted by Hurricane Helene can visit the Hope Fund’s website to learn more and apply to request assistance. Please also consider supporting impacted colleagues by donating to the Hope Fund: www.HCAHopeFund.com.
“At HCA Healthcare, we care for each other like family,” said Jen Berres, senior vice president and chief human resources officer at HCA Healthcare. “The Hope Fund enables us to provide a support system for colleagues during life’s most challenging moments. It is our hope that you can lean on your HCA Healthcare family when needed, and our collective contributions to the Fund make that possible.”
The Hope Fund’s founding story exemplifies the dedication of HCA Healthcare and our colleagues to care for patients, communities and one another. After hundreds of Florida colleagues were hit by devastating hurricanes in 2004, HCA Healthcare colleagues throughout the country contributed donations for those who had been impacted. What began as an informal way to help soon evolved into the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund. In 2005, as the Hope Fund was ramping up operations and Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, HCA Healthcare gave an additional $4 million to help colleagues in need after the storm.
Since its inception, the Hope Fund has assisted more than 56,000 HCA Healthcare families with over $109 million in emergency funds to overcome life’s most unexpected challenges. So far in 2024, $8 million in assistance has been distributed to our colleagues through more than 3,300 grants. Each grant represents a colleague and their family whose lives were changed by the kindness of donors.
As HCA Healthcare celebrates Hope Fund Week 2024, we express our heartfelt gratitude to our colleagues who consistently make a difference in the lives of our patients and their fellow colleagues. Below, read stories of hope from colleagues who are forever grateful for their peers’ generosity.
Texas NICU nurse finds hope after her son’s diagnosis
HCA Healthcare colleague Kendra Bauer cares for some of our tiniest and most fragile patients as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas. Kendra is also a wife and mother to two children – Renee, 7, and Clark, 3.
Throughout his life, Clark has faced developmental challenges as he had difficulty walking, wore leg braces and required speech, physical and occupational therapies. One day, Kendra noticed what appeared to be a strange bug bite on his back and wanted to get it checked out. That is when Kendra learned that the mark on Clark’s body was a potentially cancerous tumor very close to his spine.
Due to Clark’s young age and the tumor’s location, removing it required specialty care at a facility two and a half hours away from home. The cost of his care, travel expenses and Kendra and her husband’s unpaid time away from work strained the family financially. Fortunately, Kendra remembered the Hope Fund and applied for assistance. Shortly after, she received the news that her family would receive a grant to help them through this challenging time.
“The whole experience changed my life forever,” Kendra said. “The Hope Fund helped us find peace in a time of immense fear. We are forever grateful for the love and support from our HCA Healthcare family.” After surgery, Clark’s family received incredible news – the tumor was not cancerous. Today, Kendra says, “He’s walking, running and so resilient! You would never know what he went through.”
Long-time Missouri Hope Fund donor receives assistance
HCA Healthcare colleague Brandee Hammontree, manager of oncology data and accreditation at Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at HCA Midwest Health in Kansas City, Missouri, experienced a fainting episode and was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism earlier this year. Brandee’s condition required extensive medical care.
Following Brandee’s diagnosis, her husband, David, was in a terrible accident after coming into contact with a snowy pothole. David’s accident resulted in punctured lungs, broken ribs and a shattered shoulder.
The cost of their care and unpaid time out of work led to an unexpected financial burden for the couple. Brandee dreaded going to the mailbox in anticipation of an ever-growing stack of bills.
Having contributed to the Hope Fund for years, Brandee decided to apply for assistance. The thought of applying didn’t initially cross her mind, but she is grateful that she did. When Brandee learned she would receive assistance, she felt like she could breathe again. “The weight it took off our shoulders was incredible,” she said. “Thank you isn’t enough. This felt like a hug from the whole organization!”
Hope Fund helps Texas colleague after apartment fire
Ariel Richardson joined the HCA Healthcare family this year as a lactation coordinator at affiliate Medical City Dallas in Texas. In her role, she assists new moms and babies and has gained valuable experience toward her dream of being a lactation consultant.
A few months after starting in her new role, Ariel came home to find her apartment building had caught fire and was filling her unit with smoke. Her home was no longer livable, and she had to throw away her living room furniture due to smoke damage.
Negotiating with her apartment complex and renters’ insurance company proved difficult. Her apartment complex agreed to let her move to another unit, but only if she could pay the first month’s rent in advance. That unexpected cost, coupled with utility transfers and other moving expenses, was more than Ariel could afford and she didn’t know what to do. Then, she remembered learning about the Hope Fund during her new hire orientation.
The assistance Ariel received allowed her to move into a safe new home and replace some of her belongings. “I was so grateful and so thankful,” Ariel said. “It gave me peace and hope. I felt like I wasn’t alone.”
Hope Fund helps Florida colleague get back on her feet after fall
Ericka Graves is a certified nursing assistant at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital in Ocala, Florida, and has been with the hospital for nearly six years. She plays an integral role in the care team working with HCA Healthcare patients and nurses.
Recently, Ericka was enjoying quality time with her daughter at a waterfall when she slipped and fell on the wet rocks. Her ankle was fractured, and her shoulder had an impingement, severely limiting her range of motion. Suddenly, Ericka was out of work for three months with no pay contributing to her single-income household.
“My bills fell behind. I was scared of losing everything I had,” Ericka recalled. “I worked so hard to keep my credit up – I fell into a depression.” A colleague told her about the Hope Fund and encouraged her to apply for help.
When Ericka learned support was on the way, everything changed. “I was so excited, I broke down and cried,” she said. “I was able to get my mortgage and bills caught up – it was amazing.” Ericka wants her colleagues to know the Hope Fund is real and available, and not to give up when things get hard.
“Help is possible. Just knowing the assistance is there gives you a lot of hope.”
Ericka Graves, Certified Nursing Assistant, HCA Florida Ocala Hospital
Texas colleague finds support from Hope Fund while caring for her husband after his stroke
HCA Healthcare colleague Celeste Diaz is a charge entry specialist at affiliate Methodist Hospital Stone Oak in San Antonio, Texas. Earlier this year, her husband, Ben, experienced an unusual bout of fatigue. That, paired with the drooping Celeste noticed on the right side of his face, was cause for concern. “I knew he needed immediate medical attention,” she said.
Doctors determined that Ben had a stroke. The following day, he experienced numbness on the other side of his body and was admitted to the hospital again. This event was followed by many doctor appointments and physical therapy sessions. While serving as Ben’s primary caregiver, Celeste had to take off work, and the bills started piling up.
Celeste knew a colleague who previously received assistance from the Hope Fund, so she decided to apply for help as well. When she and Ben received assistance, she said, “We both started to cry. It gave us time to figure out our next steps. The Hope Fund provides so much hope for those who find themselves in tough situations.”
Today, Ben is stable, finishing up his therapy and improving daily. Thanks to our colleagues’ generous contributions to the Hope Fund, we can keep supporting families like Celeste and Ben’s.
Related article: HCA Healthcare announces the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund has awarded $100 million in grants to colleagues in need – HCA Healthcare Today